“Don’t speak to me about your religion; first show it to me in how you treat other people. Don’t tell me how much you love your God; show me in how much you love all his children. Don’t preach to me your passion for your faith; teach me through your compassion for your neighbors. In the end, I’m not as interested in what you have to tell or sell as I am in how you choose to live and give.” This is one of my all-time favorite quotes spoken by Senator Cory Booker from New Jersey, whom I absolutely adore! I totally agree with his statement. Living by example is such a greater influence and testimony than any words we could ever speak. Have you ever heard someone say they stood for one thing, but then heard them speak words that completely contradict what they say they believe? We see this in a lot of churches in particular (not all). We say God is Love, that Jesus taught kindness and compassion, and yet we hear too many words of hatred coming from the pulpits, books, and articles, and that’s sad. I can just see Jesus looking at our world with a tear streaming down his cheek and saying, “What part of loving one another do you not understand?”

We’ve all heard about the recent horrific tragedy with the church shootings at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. People from all over the world are sending their condolences to the family, friends, and church members. Why is it that we have to have this kind of heartbreaking catastrophe to unite us and bring us together on a greater scale?

This is one church that “gets it.” Instead of reacting with violence, they held a service of healing, and it was reported that every Charleston church and over 100 more across the country rang their church bells at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 21, to show solidarity. Not only that, over 20,000 people gathered Sunday night to join hands across the Ravenel Bridge for the Peace Unity event in support of those affected by the church shootings. People from the community and all across the country came in the spirit of love and unity.

Rev. Dr. Norvel Goff, Sr., who led Sunday’s service, said that people were astonished that some of the relatives of the people killed had spoken “of forgiveness and didn’t have malice in their hearts” when speaking of the man who committed this atrocity. People were expecting them instead to riot. But Goff stated, "They just don't know us because we are a people of faith, and we believe that when we put our forces and our heads together working for a common good, there is nothing we cannot accomplish together in the name of Jesus." This is a church whose foundation is unconditional love, the very things Jesus taught. This is a church that is a great example as to how churches should be.

We’ve already been hearing church leaders, politicians, and media hosts ranting and making all kinds of speculations. Some are saying this was a war on Christianity. No, it is not, and it has been proven otherwise. This crime was committed by a young man who was in so much pain that he was either going to take it out on others, himself, or both.

Hate is taught. It is taught in so many of our homes, and believe it or not, it is taught in so many of our churches. Get on the Internet and you can find YouTube videos of ministers propagating the vitriol in their sermons. We’re also hearing it from the media (hate-talk TV and hate-talk radio), as well as from many politicians. When are we going to say ENOUGH!?!?!?

Hate is taught, but so is love, and unconditional love is a much stronger force than any hate could ever be. We have to plant the seeds of love in everyone around us, particularly our children, and it doesn’t have to be just our own children. Hate and racism will never go away, but with enough love, we can lessen it with time. We’re already doing it! People who commit these ghastly crimes are actually teaching us to love and they are bringing people from all over the world together in peace and harmony!

Martin Luther King, Jr., stated, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Darkness is only the absence of light, and if enough of us join together in the collective consciousness of love, peace, compassion, and kindness, then we can embrace that darkness with our light and bring healing to our world.

“Pay It Forward” was a movie released in 2000 about a twelve year old boy named Trevor who unknowingly started a huge movement by coming up with an idea for a school project that he called Pay It Forward. The assignment the teacher gave his students was to come up with a plan that would change the world. Trevor’s idea was that one person would do an act of kindness for three people and then each of those three people would do an act of kindness for three people and the acts of kindness would spread around the world. Because Trevor didn’t see the immediate results of those kindnesses, he thinks that the plan was a failure. What he didn’t know was that the movement was working and was having far reaching effects all across the country and people were making a difference just with their small acts of kindness. Many of those acts ended up being bigger than people could ever know because lives were even saved.

It’s a beautiful movie and one I would highly recommend. Before the movie was released, Catherine Ryan Hyde, the author of the 1999 novel, established the Pay It Forward Foundation. According to their website, the Foundation was established “as a catalyst to inspire growth for the Pay It Forward philosophy, acts of kindness among strangers, generating a ripple effect from one person to the next, one community to the next.” (payitforwardfoundation.org)

There was also a Pay It Forward Day established and the website claims that there were over three million people in seventy countries around the world participating in these celebrations in 2015. The next Pay It Forward Day will be on April 28, 2016 and you can go to their website at payitforwardday.com to find out how you and your community can participate.

It always warms my heart when I see people committing random acts of kindness, or even when people go out of their way to help others. I see a lot of these stories on Facebook and many of them have caused me to bawl a river of tears because the stories were so heartwarming. There are many stories where people have nothing and yet they are willing to give everything if it helps anyone in any way. The problem is that so many of us get so busy in our own lives that we don’t think to reach out to others even in the smallest ways.

There are so many things we can do to commit random acts of kindness that won’t take more than a moment or two from our day. Personally, I’ve made it a habit to look for ways to help people when I’m out and about. It doesn’t cost me a thing, but the rewards are great. It not only makes the other person feel good, but it makes me feel good and it lifts all of us up.

There are so many things we can do to make a difference in our own neighborhoods. The other day, my dad’s mower stopped working and our neighbor lent us his one push mower and then came over with his riding mower and helped mow the lawn. It may not have seemed like much to the neighbor, but it was a wonderful gesture to us. That’s being a good neighbor and we so appreciated his kindness! And once in awhile, we see letters to the editor in the Herald Citizen newspaper where someone thanked Cookevillians who went out of their way to help complete strangers.

It really doesn’t take much to be kind. Leo Buscaglia said, “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” Barbara De Angelis stated, “Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and the bless you, the giver.” And Mother Teresa said, “Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, and kindness in your smile.”

I love it when the Dalai Lama said, “My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.” Can you imagine if all religions had kindness as their core philosophy? Jesus and all the other great spiritual masters taught us to be of service to our fellow beings and to harm no one, but do we follow their teachings?

Committing random acts of kindness is a great way to start. Find ways to pay it forward. Kindness is contagious, and personally, that’s one thing I don’t mind catching and spreading around.